As Lee Carsley announced his final squad as England’s interim manager, most choices went as expected. Key players like Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Bukayo Saka were, of course, on the roster, and Angel Gomes from Lille got another opportunity to impress in midfield. Injured regulars, predictably, didn’t make the cut.
However, Jack Grealish’s inclusion came as a bit of a surprise. The Manchester City forward has been impressive under Carsley’s leadership, scoring twice in just three games – matching his tally from 36 appearances under Gareth Southgate. But Grealish’s fitness raised concerns as the international break approached.
Jack Grealish injury and absence for Man City
After making a brief appearance off the bench for City’s first game following the October break, Grealish witnessed John Stones’ last-minute winner against Wolves from the sidelines. Soon after, though, a groin injury sidelined him for City’s historic Champions League win over Sparta Prague. Initially, Pep Guardiola sounded hopeful about Grealish’s recovery, estimating just “one week, ten days” out as of October 23. Unfortunately, that prediction didn’t hold up.
Grealish missed five consecutive matches, including City’s tight league win over Southampton and the Carabao Cup loss to Tottenham, with Guardiola remarking there was “no chance” of him playing in upcoming games. He sat out additional losses to Bournemouth and Sporting CP, with no clear return date in sight.
But Lee Carsley seemed optimistic about Grealish’s readiness for the national team. “We are fully in contact with the medical staff, and we expect Jack to be fit,” Carsley shared. “He’s trained the last couple of days, so he’ll come in, we’ll assess him, and make sure he’s ready to play.”
Carsley emphasized Grealish’s importance to the team: “He’s not just important for this camp but for the future. He’s a joy to coach, and he’s an infectious character in the locker room, both on and off the pitch. You can see he loves playing for England, so we wanted to give him as much time as possible.”
If Grealish proves fit for England’s matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, he should also be on track for Manchester City’s league match against Brighton this weekend.
